


A furry wingman

by AgentOfShip



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Adorable Fitz, Cat, F/M, Fluff, Neighbors AU, Oblivious Fitz, and I mean actual fluff cause there's a cat, meddling cat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-02 23:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11519466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/pseuds/AgentOfShip
Summary: Leo Fitz never had any kind of friendly relationship with his neighbors, so when he moved to a new building, he didn't expect things to be any different. And he surely didn't expect a cat forcing a relationship on him by regularly sneaking into his apartment. But when it means having to bring him back to his very nice and very pretty new upstairs neighbor, Fitz finds that he's probably been missing out something all these years.Neighbors AU and mostly a fluff fest !





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was supposed to be a relatively short one shot but turns out I'm apparently incapable of doing that! So this story is going to be three chapters long and since it's already fully written, I'll post the two next ones in the next few days just to give me time to proof read it!  
> I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you'll like it since it's also my first time writing a whole story from Fitz's POV.  
> And be warned it's going to be extra fluffy and I mean it literally because there's a cat in it, but really, there's like zero percent angst in this story!

When Leo Fitz got home that night after two whole days and one night spent at the lab with only a few hours of sleep on the lab's very uncomfortable couch, he only wanted one thing: go to sleep on that supposedly magic mattress he got delivered to his new apartment two days ago and still hadn't had the opportunity to test. He was so exhausted that on his way from his car to his building, he had already planned in what order he would eat something, take a shower and brush his teeth to maximize efficiency and go to bed as fast as possible so he could enjoy at least twelve hours of sleep, praying to all the gods he didn't believe in that he wouldn't be needed at the lab the next day.

In his exhausted state, the best solution he could find was to do it all at the same time, but apparently someone had decided otherwise anyway. And that someone took the form of a small calico cat with piercing blue eyes lying on his bed and that definitely wasn't his despite how completely at ease it looked and how totally unperturbed it was when Fitz opened the door and switched the light on in his bedroom. Fitz let out a small gasp of surprise at seing the small feline and in return, the cat just looked at him with a look that seemed to ask: "Well, what are you doing in my room?" For the feline's defense, Fitz had only been living here for two weeks and spent so little time home that the cat might have been there the whole time and he probably wouldn't have noticed.

"Now, who are you and what are doing here? Do you just come with the apartment? Did I miss a line when I signed the lease?"

The cat looked at him with what seemed like polite interest, tilting his head to the side, slowly moving his tail from left to right, probably still wondering what that stranger was doing on his territory and if he would be allowed to stay.

"Also why am I talking to a cat?" Fitz let out with a big sigh. He was really exhausted.

Fitz extended a tentative hand towards the cat and after a good thirty seconds of the cat sniffing it, the feline gave a friendly head-but and Fitz thought it was probably okay to pet him and in the meantime check if the small guy had a collar. Fitz sat down on the edge of the bed and the cat let him scratch his head for a while, closing his eyes and purring even louder until it decided to roll around a bit, suggesting that it was okay for Fitz to scratch under its head as well.

"Well you're a friendly one I'll give you that ..." Fitz said as he kept on absent-mindedly pet the cat's soft fur. He'd just noticed that his bedroom window had been left open and deduced that it was probably where the cat had come from. It didn't wear a collar but now that he was thinking about it, Fitz was pretty sure he saw a little poster in the hallway of his building with a picture of a cat. He didn't bother reading what was on it since he was just really in a hurry to get home but he supposed it was most likely someone looking for it.

For a moment Fitz considered just letting the cat stay for the night, go to sleep and wait till morning to go downstairs and check if he remembered correctly and if someone was actually looking for that cat. But then he thought that if that person put up a poster, it probably meant that the cat had been missing long enough for it to be worrying. And even though it was already late, that person might be grateful to know his or her cat was alright. So he got up with a big sigh, closed the window so the cat wouldn't decide to leave before he could inform its owner, and walked out the door.

-0-0-0-

Fitz's new furry friend was named Leo, which made Fitz chuckle since he always told his mother that his name was definitely more suited to a pet, and its owner, Jemma Simmons, was his new upstairs neighbor. The cat had only been missing since the previous morning but the poster suggested that she was very worried since the cat wasn't supposed to get out of the flat at all.

"Well maybe you shouldn't leave your window open Jemma Simmons ..." Fitz grumbled as he took out his phone to put her phone number in.

Since it was already past midnight, Fitz decided to send her a text rather than call her. That way if she was asleep, at least she'd know her cat was safe first thing in the morning and Leo was friendly enough that Fitz didn't mind letting him spend the night if it was necessary. But even before Fitz had the time to make it back to his flat, Jemma Simmons was already calling him.

"Hi! I'm Jemma, Jemma Simmons, you just texted me about my cat?" The woman said, her voice sounding a bit rough from sleep. She was apparently a much lighter sleeper than he was because there was no way he could be woken up by a text alert. Her pretty British accent didn't really surprise her considering she wrote flat and not apartment but it was still nice to hear. It's been a while since he'd spoken to someone from home.

"Hi ... yeah figured it was you!" Fitz chuckled. "So hmmm you sound like I've woken you up ... do you want to me to bring him to you?"

"Oh no-no that's nice of you really, just give me five minutes to change and I'll come get him. I'm already so embarrassed that Leo came to your flat, I'm not gonna make you go out at this hour ..."

"No it's alright I just got home from work anyway and I'm just downstairs from you, I can bring him and you can go back to sleep ..." Fitz surprised himself by being so courteous but the woman's voice was so soft and agreeable and apologetic that he just didn't feel like being his usual grumpy self. He would have to wait a bit longer to go to bed anyway so it didn't make a difference if he was the one to come to her flat and at least he would save her the trouble of having to change clothes and then change it back five minutes later.

"That'd be really nice of you but I'm not sure Leo will let you grab him, he doesn't like strangers very much and I don't want you to get scratches all over your hands on top of everything else ..."

Fitz was now back into his flat and in his bedroom where Leo had apparently gone back to sleep. Lucky bastard.

"Well he was friendly enough earlier ... hold on let me try ..." Fitz said and put his phone on his nightstand before Jemma had the time to protest.

Fitz gave Leo a few head scratches to wake him up delicately -if he was anything like him he liked taking his time to wake up- then tentatively grabbed him under his front paws to position him against his left shoulder. The feline let out a small meow of protest at being taken away from his warm comfy bed but didn't bite or scratch him and after a moment, it looked like he was okay with being on Fitz's shoulder.

"It's alright. Looks like he doesn't mind being in my arms so I'll bring him to you now if that's alright ..." Fitz said once he'd taken his phone back.

"Oh ... alright. Thank you so much. I'll see you in a minute then ..."

-0-0-0-

When Jemma Simmons opened the door for him wearing a flannel pyjama bottoms, a tank top and half her hair sticking out of the messy bun on top of her head, Fitz thought she was probably the cutest thing he's seen in a long time. Even though it was probably a tie with the furry creature who managed to fall back asleep on his shoulder during the short walk between his flat and hers.

Until she gave him the biggest sleepy smile he's ever seen upon seing her beloved Leo and then, he was absolutely certain. She was definitely the cutest. "Sorry Leo" He thought. "But you're a close second!"

"Hi! You must be Jemma Simmons ..." Fitz said with a small smile of his own.

"You have Scottish eyes!" She cried out, sounding positively surprised and his smile turned into a small grin.

"Yeah. yeah I guess I have ..." He answered and she chuckled nervously, a slight blush tinting her cheeks, thus making her ten times cuter.

"Sorry I hum ... I tend to say everything that crosses my mind when I'm sleepy and it all kind of got mixed up ... I just I couldn't help noticing your eyes and hum ... you're Scottish ... obviously! And it's hum ... nice to hear someone from home ... well close to home. I'm gonna stop talking now!" She finished with a sheepish smile.

God she was so sweet and awkwardly charming. Could she be some kind of reward from the cosmos after spending two extremely long and tiring weeks working on devices that would make people's lives better?

"That's alright really ... and I agree it's nice to hear someone from home ..." He said with a soft smile as he started detaching Leo from his shoulder and transferred it to Jemma. The small feline gave a small meow of satisfaction and started purring even louder as he settled on Jemma's shoulder.

"I still can't believe you could hold him like that, he usually hates strangers ... well pretty much anyone that's not me to be honest ..." She said with a chuckle. "Do you have a secret?" She asked with an amused glint in her eyes.

"I don't know ... maybe it's the name!" He answered and she raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh yeah sorry I don't think I introduced myself, my name's Leo Fitz!" He added, extending his hand for her to shake, which she did with a big smile.

"Oh nice to meet you Leo!" She chirped and he winced.

"Oh please, you can call me Fitz ..."

"Oh no I don't want to rob you of your first name for my cat's benefit ..."

"No really I insist!" He cut her off. "Everybody calls me Fitz, I'll go by Leopold when I'm eighty and I always thought Leo was more fitted for a pet anyway so ..." He finished with a lopsided grin.

"Oh alright then! So I hope Leo didn't do any damage in your apartment?" She asked, with a little embarrassed smile.

"Oh no, he probably just stayed on the bed. I'm just a bit jealous really, didn't even get to test that new mattress myself yet but Leo seemed to like it ..."

"Well cats don't have very high standards when it comes to beds so don't necessarily take his word for it!" She said and they both laughed.

"He probably spent last night here as well, I would have called you sooner but I didn't get to go home since I left for work yesterday morning so ..."

"Oh no it's fine, I'm the one who should be apologizing and as long as he was safe ..."

"Yeah ..."

The silence lingered there for a moment and Fitz could see that she had trouble keeping her eyes open and to be honest, his own lack of sleep was catching up to him so as surprisingly agreeable as it was, he decided to end the conversation before it got awkward. Better leave on a nice impression.

"So I should probably go to sleep now"

"Oh yeah me too! Thank you again for bringing me Leo ... Oh and you're new to the building right?" She asked with a genuine interest.

"Yeah moved in a couple weeks ago ..."

"Well if you need anything, infos about the neighborhood, anything ... just ask me!"

"Okay thank you, same goes for you ... well not infos about the neighborhood obviously but you know ... sugar or flour, your cat ... things like that ..." He answered and she grinned at him.

"Thank you ... Goodnight Fitz" She answered, her smile turning softer.

"Goodnight Jemma, goodnight Leo!" He said before she closed the door and he stayed there a second before walking back to his apartment.

She really did have a nice smile and she seemed just as sweet as her cat. Fitz wasn't usually this friendly with his neighbors, the ones he had in his previous building probably didn't even notice he was gone, but there was something about her that made it easy to talk, a general softness in her voice and appearance and some kind of awkwardness in spite of how beautiful she was, that made her feel like a kindred spirit. And even if he knew it was the kind of things you said to your neighbors to be polite, it felt more sincere when it was her saying it. And he knew he definitely wouldn't mind having to see her again.

-0-0-0-

Apparently Leo didn't mind either because it took him only a few days to find his way back to Fitz's bed. After a few nights spent on that fantastic new bed himself, he couldn't really blame the cat for wanting to take another nap on it!

After petting the small feline's fur and scratching his head for a few minutes -it was strangely relaxing after a long day's work- Fitz took out his phone to call Jemma and check if she was home.

"Hello?" She said after a few rings.

"Hi, this is Fitz, your downstairs neighbor ..."

"Oh hi Fitz! How are you doing?" She answered, her voice much more enthusiastic when she recognized his voice and he couldn't help smiling at that.

"Oh fine I guess. Just got home from work and guess who I found on my bed?" He asked, grinning.

"Oh no! Did Leo manage to get out again?"

"Looks like it ..."

"I've been so busy since I came home, I didn't even notice he was gone, must have slipped out the bedroom window again!" She said, sounding a little embarrassed and he couldn't resist teasing her a bit.

"Shame on you ... no wonder the poor thing is coming to me for attention!"

"Hey! I got him a whole new bed this week! It looks so comfy I'd sleep on it myself if it was a little bigger ..."

"Classic! Trying to compensate with gifts ..." He said, keeping the teasing tone in his voice.

"Wow ... and I thought you seemed so nice the other night!" She answered in fake annoyance but he thought he could still hear the amusement in her voice.

"Oh but I am or I wouldn't propose to bring Leo to you, would I?"

"Oh would you really do that? That'd be lovely!"

Fitz didn't recall the last time he'd been called lovely but coming from her, he could get used to it.

"Yeah I'll be there in a minute!"

-0-0-0-

Of course Fitz expected her to be slightly more put together than the last time, but he didn't expect this. When Jemma opened the door for him, she was wearing a black very form fitting dress stopping just above the knee and with a relatively low cut neckline that bared her shoulders and collarbone. For a moment, he wondered if that was really what she used to wear for work and if he could apply there, wherever that place was, until he saw the nicely set table in the living room and the delicious smell of food.

"Wow you should have warned me there was a dress code, I feel a bit underdressed now!" He said, grinning and she chuckled. Liking the sound of that, he continued. "Really I'm embarrassed, I'm just bringing your cat back, there was no need to throw me a party ..." He added and she burst out laughing for good this time. Fitz wasn't used to having people react so well to his silly jokes and he was delighted that it was her of all people who reacted that way.

"Thanks again for bringing Leo back. I'll really try to be careful with the window so he doesn't bother you anymore." She said with a soft smile as she took the cat from Fitz and put it immediately on the floor so he wouldn't put cat hair all over her fancy dress.

"Oh I don't mind really. It's actually kind of nice having someone waiting for me at home ..." He chuckled.

"I still can't believe how friendly he is to you ... there must be something special about you ..." She said with a glint in her eyes and he felt himself blush a little. The comment on his eyes and now that. Could she actually be flirting?

"I should probably go now, I'm gonna leave you to your party preparations." Fitz said with a smile. He could definitely have stayed much longer chatting with her but she looked busy and he didn't want to impose.

"Well not really a party, just cooking for my boyfriend but yeah ... I should get back to that ..." She said with a slightly embarrassed smile he didn't really understand. Of course she had a boyfriend -so much for the flirting- she was too sweet and beautiful not to and even if Fitz couldn't deny being quite disappointed about it, there was no reason for her to be embarrassed.

"Well lucky him 'cause I don't know what you're cooking but it smells amazing!" He said, deciding not to mention how pretty she was in that dress. After all she did have a boyfriend and they barely knew each other, it would have been a bit inappropriate.

She just gave a big bashful smile and he took it as his cue to go.

"Well good evening Jemma ..." He started but she cut him off.

"Oh wait!" She said and ran back inside her flat, letting the door open. From what he could see, her place was the exact replica of his, minus the mess he'd managed to put in it in the short time he'd lived there. The front door opened directly into the living room, the small open kitchen was on the right and the hallway on the left logically led to the bedroom and bathroom.

Leo had taken position on the armrest of the sofa and looking at him his head tilted to the side in a way that seemed to mean: "I've invited you, why aren't you coming in?" or maybe that's just what Fitz wanted to think.

After a minute, Jemma came back with two slices of cake on a plate. "Here, anyone thinking my cooking smells good deserves to taste it!" She said, handing the plate to him.

"Oh thank you but I don't want to ..."

"No please, I made a whole cake, there'll be plenty of it for everyone!" She cut him off and he accepted the plate with a big smile. He could never resist cake.

"Well it does look as good as it smells"

"Then you'll have to come back and tell me if it tastes good as well" She said with a small grin and what he could swear was a blink.

-0-0-0-

Fitz managed to wait a whole ten minutes before succumbing to the cake. And even if it was still too hot, just as Jemma warned him it would be if he didn't wait at least an hour to eat it, it tasted amazing and just as perfect as the woman who made it.

-0-0-0-

As a kid, Fitz developed some kind of an obsession with monkeys and always thought that getting one as a pet would be the ultimate accomplishment of his life. But as he grew up and learned more about them, he realized that a monkey's place was in the wild and not as a pet so he settled for getting a dog someday. He'd never really given a thought about having a cat until he found himself lying on his bed and realized that he's been petting Leo's fur and listening to his loud purring for the past hour. Having a cat would definitely not help improve his productivity but it was doing wonders as a stress relief.

Also, thanks to his new furry friend, he'd get to see his favorite neighbor once more. Well saying she was his favorite neighbor was a bit of a stretch since she was the only one he'd met since moving in to the building but he didn't think it would be possible to find better.

Summoning the last remnants of his strengths, he got up from the bed and grabbed Leo who, after a small mewl of protest from being taken away from his bed, reluctantly settled on Fitz's shoulder. Fitz heard Jemma come home from work ten minutes ago so he didn't bother calling her first and just grabbed his keys before climbing up the stairs with a spring in his step that was totally unlike him.

When Jemma opened the door though, she gave him a soft smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes and she didn't look as perky as she was the last times, and Fitz found his own smile faltering a bit. Maybe he was catching her at a bad time and chastised himself for not calling first, but it was too late now anyway.

"Hi" He said a little bashfully. "Look who I found!"

"Oh hi Fitz" She answered, her voice strangely small. "I'm sorry I just got home from work, I didn't have the time to notice he was gone yet ..." She said as she gestured for Fitz to put Leo in her arms. But instead of putting him back on the ground, she hugged him to her chest and buried her face in his fur for a moment. Fitz couldn't help smiling at the sweet scene even it felt like something was definitely wrong with her.

"Oh no it's alright really, I kinda like him now!" He said with a genuine smile. "But I feel like Leo's starting to love me more than you now though!" He said with a grin, as a mean to tease her since she seemed to appreciate his humor and he wouldn't have minded hearing her charming laugh once more. But it didn't really create the same reaction this time. Quite the opposite in fact.

He saw a flicker of hurt in her eyes and then suddenly she was crying and he felt all the colors drain from his face. How did he go from friendly chat and teasing with his pretty neighbor, who he might have a small (massive?) crush on, to making her cry in just a few seconds?

"Oh no no no I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it Jemma. Don't listen to me I never know when to stop with the teasing, I'm so stupid. I should just go now ... next time I'll-I'll just bring you back Leo and I'll keep my bloody mouth shut and ..." He rambled, his eyes going wide and scratching his neck in a nervous gesture, not knowing what to do with his hands. Should he pat her back? Put a comforting hand on her shoulder? Bring her a hot beverage? Hug her? No that one would be nicer for him than her most likely! And now he remembered why he didn't have so many friends in the first place. Social interactions had never been his forte. But Jemma cut him off before he had the time to apologize some more.

"Oh no Fitz it's alright, I know you were just teasing. I would have probably said something in the lines of "he only loves you for your bed" if I didn't feel so awful ..." She said, giving him a weak smile through her tears.

"Oh what's wrong?" He asked, feeling somehow a little relieved but still terribly embarrassed for making her cry. "Can I do something to help?"

"Oh no you're really sweet but I-I-it's just my boyfriend and I, we broke up last night and hmm it wasn't pretty and then I got home really late and I didn't get much sleep so hmmm yeah ... I'm a little emotional. Really I feel ridiculous now ..." She said with a small chuckle.

"Oh no I'm so sorry, things didn't look so bad last week when ... but it's none of my business really! Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?" He asked and even though he sincerely felt bad for her, there was a very small part of him that kinda fist pumped internally when he heard she didn't have a boyfriend anymore and he felt terrible about it. Because it wasn't like he was going to try anything while she was sad and vulnerable. And especially not now that his stupid jokes made her cry.

"No really I should go grocery shopping but I'll probably end up watching TV and falling asleep on the couch with Leo." She said as the cat started purring even louder when she scratched his head.

"Sounds like a solid plan! Goodnight to you both then ..." He said as he started walking away with a bit of a sheepish look on his face but she grabbed his arm before he could make another step.

"Thank you Fitz. And please don't feel bad, I really didn't cry because of what you said ..." She said with a small smile but this time it seemed to reach her eyes. He gave her a nod and a smile of his own and gently detached his arm from her hand and made his way back to his place.

-0-0-0-

But an hour later, after he'd taken a shower and changed into more comfortable clothes, he still couldn't stop thinking back on how sad Jemma had looked like and somehow even though he only knew her for a few weeks and talked to her a grand total of four times, he wanted nothing more at this moment than to make her feel better.

So that's how he found himself softly knocking on her door, with his foot, twenty minutes later with his arms full of food. It took her some time to answer the door and for a moment, he was scared that he might have woken her up even if it was barely past 9 PM. After all it was her plan to fall asleep on the couch. But when she opened the door, she looked quite awake and he could see the TV in the background as well as an impressive pile of blankets on the couch.

"Hi again ..." he said bashfully.

"Hiii ..." She answered with a slightly amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

"So hum ... I felt bad leaving you looking so sad after making you cry, and I know it wasn't really my fault" He added before she had the time to protest. "But still I felt bad so I-hmmm-I conjured all the memories I had from every TV show and rom-com I ever saw and hum ... what I mostly got from it was that when you're heartbroken you need to eat a lot of ice-cream so ..." He let out as he lifted the huge pint of vanilla cookie dough Ben&Jerry's ice-cream with a small tentative smile and her own smile grew wider. She also raised an inquisitive eyebrow at everything in his arms that obviously wasn't ice-cream and he blushed a bit.

"And then I remembered that you said you needed to go grocery shopping so I thought maybe you didn't have any real food to eat either so I went and picked up chinese food ... and then I thought that maybe you didn't consider chinese take away as real food so I-hmm-I got you soup ..." He finished and her smile was now almost splitting her face in two. "I-hum-tend to be a little excessive when I'm not really sure of what I'm doing ..." He added sheepishly when she still didn't talk.

He thought he'd done a good job of making her feel better until she suddenly burst into tears once more.

"Oh no no, I'm sorry I made things worse again, I really don't know what I'm do-mmmmph ..." He started but she cut him off by placing a finger over his mouth and the familiarity of the gesture was enough to stop him and leave him a little gobsmacked anyway. She was still smiling widely through her tears.

"No Fitz, you didn't do anything wrong! I told you I'm ridiculously emotional, it's just you-this-I think this might be the sweetest, most adorable thing anyone's ever done for me and you barely even know me and ..." She said as new tears were starting to fall on her cheeks. "And now I must look like a lunatic" She said chuckling. "Crying and smiling and laughing at the same time!"

As she talked Fitz felt the knot in his chest untie as he realized he really did nothing wrong then as she continued, he started to feel another kind of pressure on his heart. One that didn't feel quite as bad.

"No no no it's fine I get it ... and who am I to judge really? I bought you enough food for ten people and I don't even know if you like any of it ..." He said with a little eye roll and they both burst out laughing.

"Of course if you put it like that ..." She answered, making a move to take some of what he was carrying off his arms.

"Here ..." He said as he gave her the last bag of chinese food. "I'll leave you to eat now, feel free to throw all of this away if you're not hungry ..." He said as he started to reluctantly move away from the door.

"Hey hey hey wait!" She said to stop him. "I guess you didn't really pay attention to these movies because if you did, you'd know that ice-cream is useless if you don't have someone to share it with ..." She added with a small grin as she moved to the side and opened the door wider as an invitation to let him in.

"Oh no you don't have to invite me in just 'cause I ..."

"Fitz!" She cut him off. "Will you stop doubting everything I say and come inside to gorge on chinese food and ice-cream with me so I don't feel guilty doing it on my own?" She let out and her voice was tinged with a bit of annoyance but mostly fondness and a bit of mischievousness.

"Oh alright ..." He said as he walked in and she closed the door behind him. "bossy ..." He mumbled and she grinned even wider. "No wonder you keep coming to my place!" He said, turning towards Leo who'd been looking at their exchange like you would a tennis match, from his perch on the couch's armrest.

A second later, he managed to stop the cushion Jemma threw at him just before it hit his face. He tried to look offended by the gesture but her smile was just too contagious and he couldn't resist reciprocating it.

-0-0-0-

Two hours later, they found themselves half sitting, half lying down on either sides of Jemma's couch and mostly buried under what Fitz called Jemma's blanket fort. Leo seemed to appreciate his new human pillow since he spent almost as much time on Fitz's lap as he did on Jemma's. An impressive quantity of mostly empty cardboard boxes lay on the coffee table, the soup lay untouched and Fitz could see that Jemma was arguing with herself about getting up to get that pint of Ben&Jerry's from the freezer.

After they'd settled on the couch to eat, they remained silent for a moment as Jemma was switching channels in the hope of finding something that was, if not interesting, at least entertaining to watch. After almost giving up, they stumbled onto a channel Jemma didn't even know she had and that was broadcasting Doctor Who reruns. They got so excited both about the fact that it was their favorite season and that they'd found a fellow Whovian, that it took them a good five minutes to realize it was actually a dutch channel and that the show was in Dutch. After a good laugh, they kept watching it for a moment to have fun hearing how strange the characters sounded in another language, but after a time the conversation drifted to more personal topics like what each other did for a living, which opened up a whole new array of conversation topics since they were delighted to discover that they were both scientists, and they forgot about the TV altogether.

But the late hour, insane amount of food eaten and the warmth of the blankets helping, they drifted into a sleepy but surprisingly not uncomfortable silence as they kept watching this strange Dutch version of Doctor Who.

"Considering how well I know this episode in english, do you think I could teach myself Dutch if I compare both versions?" Fitz asked and Jemma burst out laughing, startling Leo who was peacefully sleeping on her lap at the moment.

"Hey!" He cried out with a affronted look on his face. "That was a serious question. And I'll have you know that's pretty much how they managed to decrypt the hieroglyphs actually ..." He added, not completely able to keep the grin off his face as he said it.

"Of course Fitz. And I'm sure it'll be extra useful for you to know how to say Dalek in Dutch for your next trip to Amsterdam!" She answered with a triumphant grin.

"You're so mean ... and that's a terrible exemple really because Dalek is still Dalek in Dutch anyway!"

"Awww ... will you forgive me if I give you ice-cream?" She asked with a slightly mischievous smile.

"You mean the ice-cream I brought?" He answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah ... but I can top that with liquid chocolate ..."

"Yeah okay!" He cried out enthusiastically and she grinned.

With that, she let out a big exaggerated sigh and got up the couch before tenderly ruffling his hair.

"Hey!" He cried out, swatting her hand away but he couldn't stop the huge smile that crept up his face once she turned her back.

A minute later, she came back from the kitchen with the box of ice-cream and two spoons. This time, she sat much closer to him on the couch and Fitz felt his heart beat ridiculously faster for a second until he realized it was just out of practicality since she didn't bring bowls and they would both have to dig directly into the box to eat.

"Oh my ... this is really good!" She let out with a contented sigh after the first spoonful. "I think you might be the nicest person I've ever met!"

"Oh please you're just being emotional again! It's just ice-cream and you barely know me ..." He answered with a chuckle to hide his slight embarrassment.

"Exactly!" She said, turning around a bit to face him. "I mean yeah I might still be a bit emotional but still ... you don't know me and yet you buy me an insane amount of food and spend the night cheering me up when I'm sure you have better things to do ..."

"Oh no tonight's been really nice for me. It was actually the first time I got to spend the night out since I moved to New York ... I don't make friends easily ..." He said with a self deprecative laugh.

"Oh so your girlfriend doesn't live in the city?" She asked with a sympathetic smile.

"What girlfriend?" He answered , frowning in confusion.

"Oh ... or boyfriend I'm sorry, I shouldn't make assumptions-I-it just felt like ..." She stuttered while furiously blushing and Fitz was even more confused.

"No no no I don't have either of those!" He cut her off.

"Oh ... it's just the other day, when you said you didn't come home for a night, I assumed that ..."

"Aaaah ..." Fitz let out, finally understanding where this whole idea came from. "No I spent the night in the lab, I had an important deadline for a presentation and didn't have time to come home"

"Oh ... I see. I guess we have that in common ... married to our work, right?" She let out with a chuckle.

"Yeah ..." He answered rolling his eyes. "But hum-for the record, If I did have someone in my life it would definitely be a woman." He mumbled, not quite meeting her eyes and blushing a bit.

"Right" She said and he could swear he saw the beginning of a grin tugging at her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

[From Fitz to Jemma] : If you were looking for Leo, he's at my place again!

[From Jemma to Fitz] : Oh thank you! Is that alright with you if I come pick him up in ten minutes?

[From Fitz to Jemma] : Oh no you got me wrong ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : I was just informing you ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : I love him now ... so I'm keeping him!

[From Jemma to Fitz] : Fitz give me back my cat or else ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : or else?

[From Jemma to Fitz] : I know where you live ...

[From Jemma to Fitz] : And how to create several types of undetectable poisons ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : And I have an even better security system in my flat than in the White House!

[From Jemma to Fitz] : Wow ... We'd make quite the criminal duo, don't you think?

[From Fitz to Jemma] : I was thinking just the same! The terrible FitzSimmons!

[From Jemma to Fitz] : Catchy name!

[From Jemma to Fitz] : So what about my cat?

[From Fitz to Jemma] : I guess I might consider a shared custody ...

[From Jemma to Fitz] : Ridiculous!

[From Jemma to Fitz] : I'm calling my lawyer!

[From Fitz to Jemma] : Really? Do you actually have a lawyer?

[From Fitz to Jemma] : I thought it was a thing only people said in american films ...

[From Jemma to Fitz] : My dad's a lawyer actually ...

From Fitz to Jemma] : Oh ... then I guess I could be persuaded to give you back your cat in exchange for cake ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : Like the one I could smell you were baking last night ...

[From Jemma to Fitz] : I expect you to have tea ready by the time I knock on your door!

Fitz put down his phone and looked down at Leo on his lap with a wide grin.

"I really do love you more and more every day you know ..." He said to the cat as he scratched his head before gently making him move from his lap to the fluffy blanket he absolutely didn't buy specifically for his new feline friend. Then he went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.

-0-0-0-

[From Jemma to Fitz] : Is by any chance Leo at your place again?

[From Fitz to Jemma] : Oh yeah sorry ... I was about to come up to bring him to you ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : But then he sat on my lap and fell asleep ...

[From Fitz to Jemma] : And now I'm stuck!

Fitz expected at least a few minutes of teasing texts before going up to bring her Leo. In the month since he made her cry and they ended up watching Doctor Who together for hours, it felt like they became friends. At least he hoped that's what they were because even though, thanks to Leo, they've been seing each other several times a week and it felt like she enjoyed it, he still couldn't get himself to ask her to spend time with him without the excuse of his furry friend's visits.

Because his crush on her was definitely not going away now that he knew that she wasn't only sweet and beautiful but also funny and incredibly smart. If he'd been a braver man, he would have asked her out, but having crossed paths with her ex-boyfriend once, he knew he was definitely not her type. That guy was the definition of tall, dark and handsome when himself was the definition of medium sized, sweet and cute at best (at least if he could trust what his friends had to say about him). And now that he'd been the shoulder to cry on, she would only see him as a friend anyway. At least that's what he learned from american TV shows and the few rom-com he's had to suffer through with past girlfriends.

So he'd keep his window open for Leo to come in and hope that she'd keep invite him in when he brings her cat back. At least now he was pretty sure she wasn't just being neighborly and genuinely enjoyed his company. And that would have to be enough for him.

But it had been fifteen minutes since his last text and she still hadn't responded. Maybe she wasn't in the mood for his teasing texts, even though she'd always had funny retorts the previous times, maybe this time he should have just told her she could come get her cat back. Maybe, she was getting annoyed by his slightly ridiculous and less than subtle ways of trying to make her spend time with him without actually asking her to spend time with him. Even in friendship, it was nice to feel wanted.

But before he had the time to go further into his head wondering everything he could have done wrong, there was a knock on the door.

"It's open!" He cried out loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear and hoping it wasn't anyone other than Jemma.

"Hi" She said as she entered, and the wide smile she gave him when he turned his head to look at her made all his previous worries fly away from his mind instantly. This was definitely not the face of someone who was annoyed by him, especially since she apparently didn't come empty handed.

"Good evening!" He answered and he could feel Leo turning around on his lap and perking up at the sound of Jemma's voice.

She started walking towards the couch where both Leos were sitting but suddenly stopped and gasped before letting out a delighted giggle.

"What?" Fitz asked, his brows furrowed in confusion just as Leo was tilting his head in mild interest at Jemma's strange reaction.

"Oh my god it's adorable!" She let out, confusing Fitz even further.

"What? It's not like it's the first time you've seen Leo on my lap ..."

"No no it's not that! I can't believe i didn't see that before ..."

"What? What is it? Come on tell me!" He cried out, his voice getting embarrassingly high and she grinned.

"Look at you ... you're Leo!" She answered, her grin getting wider.

"And that's news to you because ..."

"Ugh no Fitz!" She cried out, rolling her eyes at him. "I mean that you're a perfect human version of Leo ... or rather he's a cat version of you since I guess you were born before him!"

"Hu?" Was all he could answer because honestly, he still didn't understand what she was saying.

"Really Fitz, you have the same pretty blue eyes, you're both mostly pale with a few patches of red like you have in your beard and he has on his fur and you both automatically turn around at the sound of my voice and that's just ... you two are the cutest thing I've ever seen!" She let out as she sat on the couch next to him, her knees turned towards him so they could be face to face.

Fitz tried to understand what she meant really but after the pretty eyes comment, he'd been focused on trying not to blush too hard. And okay, they both had blue eyes but other than that ...

"And you both do the head tilt when you look at me like I'm a little weird!" She added and when Fitz looked down instinctively, Leo looked up at him at the exact same moment and Jemma grinned even wider.

"Okay I guess I can see it now ..." He conceded with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Hey ..." She said softly, resting her hand on his shoulder. "It's a compliment ... You know how much I love this cat right?" He'd felt a bit vexed being compared to a cat. Even when it was one as pretty as Leo, it felt like it wasn't exactly the manliest thing a woman could compare him to. But when she was looking at him like that, with so much softness, and he thought, tenderness, he'd be happy to put his head on her lap and let her scratch his hair while he purred to prove her right.

Not that he had a dream where she did exactly that two days ago. Not at all.

God ... maybe she was on to something. Maybe he was a cat if the only thing his imagination could conjure when he dreamt about his hot neighbor was a bloody head scratch.

"Fitz?"

"Oh yeah sorry ... lost in thoughts I guess ... but yeah I know ..." He answered with a soft smile. "Compare me to Leo all you want, I'm fine with it!" He added and her face relaxed into another one of her soft smiles.

"Well I've also noticed that you both have questionable notions of what a balanced meal is but I'll take Chinese food and ice-cream over dead mouse anytime ..." She grinned. "... not that I don't appreciate the gesture ..." She added turning towards Leo for a second and softly scratching the top of his head. Lucky bastard.

"So you'd rather have dinner with me than with a cat, I'm touched!" He teased.

"Yeah actually I..." She started but he cut her off when he finally saw what she was carrying.

"Mmmhh ... is that-is that cake on this plate?" He asked and she rolled her eyes fondly.

"Yeah well I made one last night and I felt guilty leaving you here to starve to death on your couch so ... I thought we could share!"

"You're the best!" He cried out with a child like enthusiasm that startled Leo who glared at him before moving away from his lap and towards Jemma.

"Oh forget that!" She let out. "You're free now so I'm gonna leave you ..." Fitz's face fell so comically fast that she wasn't able to remain serious for even a few more seconds. "I'm kidding Fitz!" She added and he groaned.

"I take that back, you're not the best, you're a mean person ..."

"And would a mean person bring cake AND the whole Doctor Who DVD boxset she's just received in the mail?" She asked, batting her eyelashes prettily up at him.

"Depends if said person plans on watching it with me or jut brought it to show off" He answered and she grinned.

"Well ... I only have the english version but I still thought you'd be interested in watching it with me ... and we can always put on the Dutch subtitles if that makes you feel better ..."

"I guess that'll have to do ..." He answered with a fake roll of his eyes as he took the box from her to put the first DVD in the player. "Thank you Jemma" He added with a soft smile.

"Oh you're quite welcome ... and Fitz?"

"Yeah?" He said, turning around at the slightly lower tone of her voice.

"You don't need Leo as an excuse to get me to spend time with you, okay? I'm more than happy to ..."

"Okay ..." Was all he could answer as their eyes locked for a moment.

"Good" She simply said with a small satisfied smile, and he went back to setting up the TV.

-0-0-0-

"You know ... I showed this episode to Will, my ex-boyfriend, and he hated it! I should have known ..." Jemma said as they were well into their third hour of watching TV and in the middle of what was Fitz's favorite episode with the twelfth doctor.

"Hu?" Fitz let out, not completely able to take his eyes off the TV.

"And he also hated every other episode I tried to show him, I should have known it wouldn't work between us in the long term ..." She added and he chuckled.

"Well of course that should be a prerequisite before even considering going on a date with someone!" He said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah I know that now ... won't make that same mistake again!" She answered. "And Leo really hated him!" She added, absent-mindedly petting the small feline's fur peacefully sleeping on her lap.

"Well I thought he didn't like anyone anyway ... except me of course!" Fitz grinned and gave Leo a bit of a head scratch to illustrate the last part of his sentence.

"That's right but with most people, he just avoids them and glares at them from afar but with Will, he was downright agressive, ambushing him when he got out of the bathroom and things like that ..." Jemma let out and Fitz snorted. She swatted his arm lightly and it made him grin even wider. "I thought it was some kind of male possessiveness thing since he's less agressive with women but then there's you ..." She added with a lopsided grin.

"Probably doesn't think of me as serious competition ..." Fitz said with a self deprecative smile.

"Oh no I think Leo's smarter than that ..." She answered with a smile he couldn't quite decipher and for a moment, they remained silent and returned their attention to the screen.

"Is that why you broke up?" He asked after a few minutes. He genuinely wanted to know more about Jemma and strangely enough when they'd spent that evening watching TV together just after her break-up, the subject didn't come up. It felt too personal for two neighbors who barely knew each other so he'd just tried to keep her mind off it and lift her spirits a bit. And after that, they discovered that they had so much in common that the topic didn't come up again and he figured that she was probably getting over it on her own. But in the corner of his brain, a part of him was also telling him that if he ever got the courage of asking her out, it wouldn't hurt to gather a bit of "intel" on what had been the problem in her previous relationships.

"Hmm?" She let out with a slightly confused tone.

"Doctor Who and Leo hating him ... Is that why you broke up with Will? Not that I don't think those are perfectly good reasons for ..."

"Oh no ... actually it kind of was because of you Fitz!" She cut him off and he recoiled in surprise, making Jemma fall even further against him. They started the evening sitting relatively close to each other, Fitz's couch wasn't that big anyway, but as time passed, they got even closer. And without Fitz realizing it, her head had come to rest lightly on his shoulder and he'd started leaning against her as well. But after falling almost on his lap for a second, she recoiled as well and moved back further against the opposite armrest.

Fitz mentally face palmed himself. If only he hadn't been so absorbed by Doctor Who, he would have noticed his crush getting all cosy against his side and wouldn't have startled like an idiot at her -admittedly quite strange- statement, and then she'd still have her pretty and brilliant head on his shoulder. Surely she couldn't mean she broke up with her boyfriend because she was interested in him, they barely knew each other back then ... Well it's been enough for him to develop a small crush on her but he didn't inspire this kind of feelings to anyone. It usually took longer for him to win a woman's heart, at least the few times it happened.

"Hu what?" He asked quite eloquently.

"I mean not because of you per se just ... things hadn't been good for a while already, it's just a few things you did that made me realize that there was probably nothing to salvage anymore ..." She said, her tone at the same time sad and a bit fond, which was a strange mix.

"Oh ..."

"You remember that time you came to my place to bring me Leo back and I was cooking for Will?" She asked and he nodded. Like he could ever forget the image of Jemma wearing that dress. "And you made a joke about not needing to throw you a party ..."

"Yeah sorry about that ..." He chuckled and she shook her head.

"No Fitz, it was funny and also it was nice to have someone acknowledge the fact that I was dressed up a bit!"

"Well how could anyone not ..."

"Will didn't!" She cut him off and his eyebrows raised to her hairline. "Yeah ... and also, he barely noticed that I made an extra effort on the food. He just gobbled everything I cooked in a matter of minutes all while ranting about his day ... And then you came the next day to give me back my plate and you spent fifteen minutes telling me how good my cake was ..." She finished with a snort.

"Well it really was delicious ..." He said a bit shyly and she gave his arm a soft squeeze.

"I know ..." She grinned. "And it was adorable of you to say so ... And then I remembered how you made the effort of bringing me back my cat when he was the one who sneaked into your apartment ..."

"Oh no but that was nothing, I live just downstairs from you and ..."

"I know Fitz!" She cut him off with a small smile. "But it was still sweet of you and I realized I couldn't remember the last time Will did even the smallest nice gesture towards me. So we talked and I told him he took me for granted and he said I was selfish and he had other things to worry about and well ... that was pretty much it ..." She finished with a chuckle. "I'm sorry I kind of killed the mood, I didn't mean to ..." She started when he just kept staring at her.

"Oh no no don't be sorry!" He cut her off. "It's just I-I wouldn't ... You shouldn't be with someone who doesn't realize how amazing you are. I'm sorry if it made you suffer but I'm glad you're not with him anymore because-because ... he didn't deserve you ..." He finished and for a moment she looked at him with that same unreadable look. But then she shook her head and gave him a fond smile.

"You really are my favorite neighbor ..." She said before very consciously putting her head back on his shoulder.

He liked the idea but the posture wasn't actually comfortable. His arm felt trapped between her and his own body so after hesitating for a good ten minutes, he moved his arm up, stretched it a bit to show her that it wasn't a "move" and he was just getting more comfortable, and put it back behind her barely grazing her shoulders.

She had moved away from him a bit when he stretched his arm and he held his breath as he waited to see how she was going to react. A second later, he realized he was worried over nothing because she gave him a soft smile and immediately put her head back on his shoulder and if anything, she curled up even closer against him.

If someone asked him which episodes they watched after that, he'd find himself incapable of answering because the only thing he remembered of those two hours were the smell of her hair and the feeling of her breath against his neck every time she laughed at the show or better, at something he said.


	3. Chapter 3

"So erm ... I've been thinking about you ... about us recently and there's something I'd like to tell you Jemma. I really love our friendship, it's quite new for me, I mean I never even learned the name of my neighbors before. But the more time I spend with you the more I feel something ... else for you. At first I think it was just a crush because you're so brilliant and beautiful and sweet that ... I didn't really have a choice. But if I believed in that kind of things, I'd say it was fated what with Leo coming to my apartment repeatedly, accepting me immediately and forcing us to get to know each other. And actually I think I'm falling in love with you so ... Would you like to have to dinner with me some time? Somewhere nice, somewhere that's not either of our flats ..." Fitz finished with a shy smile.

"So what do you think?" He added after a moment of silence. "The love part's a bit scary isn't it? I might as well ask her to marry me and be the mother of my children right away ..."

Leo looked at him from his perch on the couch's armrest and let out a small meow.

"Yeah you're right ... maybe that's too much honesty ... I should probably stay simple and just ask her out ... keep the long speech for later if things work out ..."

Leo tilted his head to the side and let out another louder meow. Fitz got the message and started scratching his head, making the small cat purr and close his eyes in contentment.

"Everything's easier for you isn't it? You just have to be cute and ask for what you want and we just do it ..." Fitz sighed and Leo gave him an affectionate head butt. "Of course, skipping the whole talking and flirting part with Jemma would be a shame 'cause I love her brain as much as I love her ... every other part of her actually ..." Fitz added with a chuckle and Leo gave him a curious look.

"Yeah I know with you it's all about the sex with the ladies, not much time for the talking ... or at least it would be if Jemma didn't have your ..." Fitz started then lowered his voice to a whisper. "... balls cut off ... sorry mate!" Fitz added with a wince while petting Leo who seemed quite untroubled by the declaration.

"But I hear there's a bunch of kittens with your DNA somewhere so that's something ... It's been so long since my "DNA" has been anywhere close to a woman that I'm starting to wonder if it's any use keeping it all anyway ..." He added and winced at his own weird thought. There was something strangely freeing talking to a creature who didn't understand a word you were saying but managed to give out the impression of listening to you without ever judging you. And it was true that it's been a long time since he'd been with anyone. He was starting a new life here and it was hard enough to make new friends without having to seek another kind of relationship as well! And anyway, there was really only one woman he was interested in ...

"Yeah I know ... won't happen if I never ask her out ... and I will ... soon ... probably ..." He let out and Leo gave him one last head butt before jumping off the couch and started walking towards the door.

"So cession's over doc?" Fitz asked, chuckling. "God ... I have to stop laughing at my own stupid jokes!" He let out under his breath before grabbing his keys and moving towards the door as well. "But I don't blame you ... I'd want to go home as well if I lived with Jemma ..."

-0-0-0-

"Wow!" Fitz was momentarily stunned when Jemma opened the door. That was probably another image of her that would be burned into his brain forever. She had a big wooden spoon in her hand but most importantly she was wearing a cream colored dress that hugged her chest and flared out around the hips to finish just above the knees. Maybe it wasn't quite as sexy as the black dress per se but the color made it almost look like she was naked and it was bringing out the freckles on her face and shoulders in a way that was quite enchanting.

It's only when she let out a small amused and slightly nervous laugh that he realized he must have been staring for quite some time. Well done now he'd embarrassed her and he probably looked like a creep.

"Erm ... sorry I ... it's just you-you look ... nice" He stuttered and winced at how widely understated his statement was. "No not nice ... beautiful ... not that you're not always I mean but you know with the dress and-and ..."

Fortunately, she was nice enough to cut him off with another lighter laugh. "That's alright Fitz I get it ... and thank you, that's really sweet of you to say ..." She said, her voice sounding a little nervous and slightly lower than usual. Maybe she was coming down with a cold or something. "And I told you, you don't need to bring me Leo back every time he comes to your flat, he'll just come back up on his own by the window!" She added, grabbing the small feline and putting him back on the ground where he lingered around her legs.

"I know but if I don't I'm going to have to find new excuses to come and see you ..." He grinned and she swatted his chest with a roll of her eyes. "No but he was just hovering around the door and I think he's starting to genuinely like having me carrying him around ..." He added and she chuckled.

"Can't really blame him ..."

They remained silent for a beat, Fitz not really understanding her sentence and why she winced immediately after, and that finally gave him the opportunity to register what was happening inside Jemma's flat. She was obviously dressed up for some special occasion and she was cooking and he could see that the table had been prettily set for two people. And suddenly, he had a big feeling of déjà vu ... Jemma was obviously on a date tonight and she was probably serious about it if she invited the man at her place and cooked for him. He didn't know what hurt the most: that despite them being friends she didn't mention she had started dating again or that she was dating someone that wasn't him. Actually it was pretty much obviously the latter but still ... it meant that not only she wasn't interested in him romantically but they weren't even friends enough to share these kinds of information ...

"Well I see that you're busy so I won't bother you any longer ..." He said, trying to keep the biterness out of his voice as he started walking away but she cut him off immediately.

"No actually your timing is perfect, well you may be a bit early but close enough ..." She said with a tentative smile and he gave her a confused look.

"What for? Do you have cake for me to taste?" He asked, trying his best not to sound too sad. Which was hard when he thought that he'd be eating cake alone in his flat while Jemma would be enjoying it here probably with another specimen of tall, dark and handsome.

"Yeah actually I do, along with a small salad, mushroom risotto and a nice bottle of wine if you feel like it ..." She answered and his eyes widened in surprise. Could it mean that ...

"You cooked dinner for ... me?"

"Well for the both of us really, it'd be quite weird if I served you food and didn't stay to eat it with you ... and anyway the food is merely an excuse to spend time with you but ... yeah, yeah I did." She answered, biting her lower lip nervously and it might have been at the same time the cutest and sexiest thing he's ever seen.

"So do you mean as a ..."

"Date? Yes if you want it to be ..."

"And when were you planning on talking to me about it? Because ..."

"Yeah you make an excellent point! I guess I could have asked you sooner but you said you had nothing planned for this week-end so I took my chances ..." She said, blushing a bit before straightening up and suddenly adopting a much more confident voice and posture. "Listen Fitz ... the thing is I really like you ... a lot ... and it looked like you felt the same but I kept sending you signals and they all went over your head. After that night watching Doctor at your place two weeks ago, I thought you finally got the message but then we kept seing each other and it was nice but nothing more happened ... " She declared and he was, at the same time, fighting a massive blush as well as a huge smile. "So I thought that after all I am a modern woman and I shouldn't expect men to always make the first step so ... dinner ... but of course if I've been completely mistaken, you can tell me so and you can just go home or we can have diner as friends even ..."

"No!" He cut her off and she frowned in disappointment. "Erm no sorry I meant no I don't want dinner as friends, I'd rather make it a date ... because I like you too .. a lot ..." He almost cried out and she gave him a wide warm smile. "Oh and I'm sorry I was a chicken and didn't ask you out before. I've had a crush on you since pretty much I first met you and I've probably been a bit oblivious but I never thought you'd ..."

"Fitz!" She cut him off with a small grin and he looked at her a bit sheepishly. "Do you want to come in now and explain this all to me over a glass of wine? I have a feeling you're going to need it ..." She grinned.

"Yeah ..." He answered with a lopsided smile. She seemed to hesitate for a second before she took a step towards him, gave him a soft lingering kiss on the corner of his mouth then took his hand to guide a completely stunned Fitz inside, followed by Leo who'd been quite attentively following the whole conversation.

-0-0-0-

"You really must be something in the lab ..." Fitz said dreamily as he watched Jemma move around the kitchen. He didn't think it was possible for someone to look so graceful while handling pans and plates and wearing such a ridiculous apron!

"What?" She asked, scrunching her nose in that adorable way she did whenever he said something a bit strange.

"You're so organized and efficient ... I bet all those lab assistants are terrified of you ..." He said with a smirk.

"Well speaking of ... you can keep on watching me work or you can come and help me finish ..." She said with a raised eyebrow and he pretended to think about it for a moment.

"Mmmhh I think I'll keep watching you ..." He said as he rested his elbows on the bar and his head on his hands and looked at her with a wide seductive smile ... that soon turned into a slightly disgusted grimace when he received a wet dishcloth on his face.

She burst out laughing and looked at him with a defiant grin. "Fine fine ... I'll come help you ..." He said moving towards her. "What do you need me to do boss?" He asked with a grin.

"Put this on the table ..." She said, handing him the salad bowl and never losing eye contact as she very voluntarily let her hands linger over his before letting go. "And could you open the bottle and pour us a drink?" She asked in that slightly lower seductive voice he could easily get addicted to.

"Sure ..." He answered, his adam's apple bobbing pretty hard.

"Here ..." He said, giving Jemma her glass a minute later. "To us!" He added with a bashful smile before clinking his glass against hers.

"To us ..." She answered and took a sip before putting her glass on the bar.

Looking at him with that cryptic smile he'd seen on her face a few times these past few weeks, she took his glass away from his hand to place it next to hers and, gently placing her hand on his chest, she closed the remaining distance between them. Looking into his eyes for a trace of hesitation, she only found tenderness and longing. So she closed her eyes and finally did what they've both wanted to do for weeks. It was just a delicate brush of skin against skin but her lips were incredibly soft and still tasted of wine and it was delicious. The kiss didn't last long but when she opened her mouth a bit to capture his lower lip between hers, it still managed to weaken his knees.

"What was that for?" He asked, his voice raspy, once he'd managed to open his eyes again.

"You're a very good assistant ..." She answered with a smug little smile.

"And do you do that with all your assistants?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and she let out a small watery laugh.

"Only the very cute ones who bring me wine ..."

"And does that happen very often?"

"Not nearly often enough no ..." She answered tilting her head to the side.

"Then I guess you should take advantage of every opportunity when it presents itself ..." He half whispered and didn't give her the time to answer before he pressed his lips to hers again, this time with less softness and a bit more passion. She responded in kind, letting her hand slide up his chest to cup his jaw and he couldn't stop himself from putting his arms around her waist to pull her a little closer instead of letting them hang stupidly on his sides like he did the first time. Their kisses were hungrier, their lips parting and coming back together with a steady rhythm that soon left them breathless. At some point, Fitz sucked on her bottom lip and when she let out a small moan, he smiled into to the kiss before slipping the tip of his tongue inside her mouth and pushing deeper when he encountered no resistance. Bringing both her arms around his neck, she arched her back to bring them even closer and started tangling her tongue with his.

At some point, Fitz felt himself leaving his own body to watch the scene from the outside and it made him smile into the kiss even more. Half an hour ago, he was rehearsing a speech he thought he'd never be able to repeat in front of the only interested party, in front of a cat, and now Jemma was in his arms, kissing him like he was his only source of oxygen. He was so giddy that he couldn't help tightening his hold on her to lift her off the ground for a moment.

She was laughing breathlessly when they finally broke the kiss. They didn't say anything for a moment, their foreheads resting against each other's while they were catching their breaths.

"I'm taking back what I said ..." She let out, her tone mischievous. "You're a terrible assistant ... much too distracting!"

-0-0-0-

"I can't believe it ... Leo's not even your cat ... You're a cat thief ..." Fitz let out with a side grin and she swatted his hand before going back to tracing small circles on his palm like she's been doing for the past ten minutes. She seemed to have developed a particular interest for his hands if the way she took every opportunity to touch them was anything to go by. Not that he minded, quite the contrary in fact. His hands had definitely developed a particular interest for every part of her anyway.

"I most definitely am not a thief ..." She cried out with an offended tone.

"No makes sense really ... that's who he got his bad habits from ..." He added and she rolled her eyes.

"He IS my cat, I'll have you know I've officially adopted him now! I've put up posters and went to the vet to see if he had any identification but nothing came out and he was still a baby back then ... What was I supposed to do?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

And then Fitz couldn't help picturing a tiny version of Leo outside his door in the snow, meowing to get in and have something to eat and it almost brought tears to his eyes. Jemma never mentioned snow but there had to be snow, it made for a much more dramatic scene. Of course he would have let him in as well. He couldn't resist him now, he could never have resisted him when he was a baby.

"Well of course you took him in cause you're an angel!" He said with a soft smile.

"That I am!" She agreed with a pleased smile as she rested her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

As a thought suddenly crossed his mind, he couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside him.

"What is it?" She asked, her brows furrowed in confusion and a bit of amusement.

"Not it's just-I ... I just thought of something ..." He answered barely able to contain his laughter. "One only has to come to your door repeatedly and you'll end letting them in ..." He finished and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly before a more seductive grin made its way on her face.

She moved as close as she could to him over the table.

"Only the very cute ones ..." She half whispered.

"Oh yeah?" He answered in a lower voice, his laughter having died down under Jemma's less than innocent look.

"Mmmhmm ..." She answered, her eyes very obviously moving down to his lips then back up into his own eyes with an eyebrow raised in a way that seemed to mean "What are you going to do with that information?". He still wasn't a hundred percents convinced that he didn't fall asleep on his couch with Leo and this wasn't all a very amazingly vivid dream.

"Well ... if this is a dream" He thought. "I might as well make the best of it!" and then he moved forward to capture her lips in another hungry kiss. The promise of the first kisses they shared in her kitchen, the wine, the flirting and subtle touches all came together to create a whirlwind of passion as their lips and tongues moved against each other with a dizzying intensity. But soon the table between them became a very annoyingly unwanted obstacle so Jemma stood up from her chair and walked around to him with a determined look in her eyes that sent a rush of arousal down his body. Encircling his neck with her arms, she sat across his lap and started kissing him again with renewed passion.

"Yeah ... that's ... much better ..." He breathed into her mouth before starting kissing her back in earnest, even managing to coax a low moan out of her when his arms came around to bring her chest closer to his. When her hands went up into his hair and her fingers started threading through his curls, he almost had a mind to ask her why women always wanted to tussle his hair when he always spent so much time trying to tame it, but then he felt her lips had left his mouth and she was sucking on his very sensitive ear lobe and all coherent thought left his mind.

-0-0-0-

"Fitz I told you, you don't need to do this, we'll take care of it later!" Jemma let out with a frustrated sigh as she tried and couldn't make him move from his spot in front of the sink.

"No no no Jemma I'll have you know my mum raised me properly! When you're invited somewhere, you bring something like flowers or dessert ... but since I didn't really have time to prepare well ... I'm doing the dishes!" He finished, his tone resolute as he kept to his task without seing Jemma's mischievous grin.

"Well I wouldn't mind dessert ..." She answered, her voice almost a whisper.

"But we already had dessert ... Do you mean like a second dessert? Are you a hobbit?" He teased with a big grin on his face and it's only when Jemma let out the loudest sigh that he stopped for a moment and turned around to look at her, his brows furrowed in confusion. She usually liked his geeky references.

"What?"

"Oh Fitz ..." She let out in a voice that seemed to be a mix of fondness and slight annoyance. "My sweet little nerd ... you must have missed out on so many opportunities! You're lucky I find it so endearing ..." She said and that low seductive voice was there again.

"Wha ... ooooohhh!" He finally let out, his eyebrows going up to his hairline as realization finally dawned on him. How could he be so oblivious when the most beautiful woman in the world was sending her such obvious signals? Well maybe it was because SHE WAS so perfect that he couldn't believe she would be the one coming on to him.

Letting go of the plate he was cleaning at the moment, he grabbed a tea towel to wipe his hands dry and finally turned to her more fully. "So do you mean like ... dessert?" He asked putting his hands up do to air quotes. God, his eyes were so wide, he must have been looking like a deer in headlights. He was so lucky to have someone like her interested in him, he couldn't mess it up by acting so awkward when she was so openly propositioning him.

"Well if you're still a little hungry ..." She answered with a wide smile and took a step closer to grab his hand loosely. "... unless you'd rather finish the dishes, I wouldn't want you to get chastised by your mum ..." She finished with a brow raised in defiance and if he wasn't already head over heels for her, that would have been it for him.

"No I guess it can wait a little longer ..." He answered, managing to get his voice to what he hoped was a lower much manlier register. Pulling her the rest of the way toward him, he snaked his arms tightly around her waist and crashed his lips to her, deepening the kiss immediately as he backed her against the kitchen counter. He had to make it up for his obliviousness and prove to her how much he really wanted this as well. She let out a delighted squeak of surprise and started responding eagerly to his kiss, her tongue tangling with his as her hands bracketed his face, lightly scratching at his stubbled cheeks.

After a moment, her hands went down and started undoing the top buttons of his shirt and the realization of what was really going to happen dawning on him once more, he suddenly felt like he had to come up for air. In his wildest dreams, he had hoped that she would agree to go out on a date and maybe kiss him at the end if it went well and then maybe after a few other dates, things would go further. He certainly wasn't prepared for the evening they already had and for things to go so fast, not that he minded.

Cupping her jaw, he made her look up at him. Her eyes were questioning, probably wondering why he stopped, but then he saw the same fondness and longing that must have reflected in his own eyes and he didn't feel so nervous anymore.

Giving her a big smile, he closed the distance between them and kissed her once more. He let her more or less blindly guide them towards the couch where they first sat next to each other as close as possible. Diverting his kisses to her neck before mouthing at her pulse point, he felt a bit proud when she let out a low moan and started untucking his shirt from his pants. Taking this as a signal to move things along, he slowly pushed her down to lie on her back on the couch. He was apparently getting better at reading her because she eagerly pulled him down with her. Soon he was lying on top of her and they were kissing with renewed passion as their legs tangled with each other.

Things heated up pretty quickly after that, his shirt fully open and untucked from his trousers, his own hands went down her legs and up under her dress. Gasping loudly, she responded by hooking her legs around his thighs and pulling him more closely into the craddle of her hips.

"Jemma ..." He breathed out into her ear and she laughed breathlessly at his reaction.

"You know Fitz ... I have a confession to make ..." She half whispered, her words interrupted by the kisses he peppered all over her face.

"Mmmhmm ..." He answered, honestly more interested in pushing the straps of her dress and bra down to mouth at her freckled shoulder than by anything she had to say at the moment.

"You know when I told you you were the reason I broke up with Will, I didn't tell you everything ..." She said and that finally got his attention. He reluctantly detached his mouth from her skin to look at her.

"Oh?"

"Yeah everything I said was true but also I ... kinda had a crush on you from the beginning ..." She let out almost shyly, biting her lower lip as she blushed.

"What?" He cried out and she giggled.

"Really Fitz? With the infamous "Scottish eyes" comment and the shameless flirting ... don't tell me you didn't notice it?"

"Well I guess I did ... a bit ... but you had a boyfriend so I thought you were just being you know ... neighborly ..." He finished lamely and she laughed.

"Neighborly? Really?" She asked with a smirk.

"You know what I mean ..." He grumbled. He had to correct the course of the conversation really soon because he was actually lying on top of his crush-slash-possible love of his life and if he kept sounding so stupid, he would definitely kill the mood and stop things from going where they were headed and he'd never forgive himself for that.

"Yeah but you're right ... I had a boyfriend and i couldn't help myself from flirting with you 'cause you were just so ... adorable and that ... well that kind of helped me take the decision I guess ..."

Well adorable wasn't the sexiest compliment but he could work with that!

"Yeah?" He asked with a bashful smile. If she liked cute, that's what she would get.

"Yeah ..." She answered before bringing his face down for another languid kiss. Apparently from the way she tightened her legs higher around his waist and let her hands descend towards his very lower back to push his hips against hers, he hadn't killed the mood. Letting his hands move up to skim at her sides, he tentatively brushed the sides of her breasts and was rewarded with a soft moan. But as he was about to take things a little further, he detected a presence in the corner of his field of vision.

Turning his face to the left, he saw Leo perched on the back of the couch and looking at them curiously.

"Hu Jemma?" He asked breathlessly.

"Yeah ..."

"I think Leo's looking at us ..." He let out and she chuckled.

"Fitz ..." She said, fondly rolling her eyes. "He's a cat, he has no idea what we're doing, he's probably just wondering if it's safe to come and sit on your back considering all the ... movement ..." She said with a teasing tone. "And even if he did know, he wouldn't care it's not like cats have any notion of privacy ..." She added before capturing his lips once more.

But after a minute or so, he could still feel Leo's presence and as bad as he tried to forget it, he couldn't completely focus on what he was doing and broke the kiss once more. The fact that Jemma always called him his baby probably didn't help.

"Wait wait ... I'm sorry Jemma I just ... I can't focus with Leo there ..." He started sheepishly and she rolled her eyes at him before pushing at his chest to get him off her.

That's it, he had killed the mood for good and all of it over a cat. Stupid stupid Fitz!

But before he had the time to try and find something to do or say to salvage the situation, he was sitting alone on the couch and she was standing up, the disheveled state of her hair and clothes making her look even sexier than she did earlier. Looking down at him with a lascivious smile and glint in her eyes, she took his hand and he let her pull him up. Oh no, no no no, she was going to ask him to leave , he knew it was too good to be true, how could he think that ...

"Well ... then I guess we'll have to take this to the bedroom and close the door ..." She said, putting a stop to his train of thoughts and a small smile crept up his face.

"Oh ... yeah I-erm-yeah ... okay ..." He answered and sensing how awkward his stuttering must have sounded, especially with the small grin tugging at her lips, he pulled her by the waist and slanted his lips against hers, his tongue teasing at her lower lips as his hand went up into her hair until she let out another small pleasured moan. Words were definitely not his forte but at least he knew he was a decent kisser.

And he got the confirmation of that when he broke the kiss and saw her face flushed and pupils blown wide with desire.

"Okay then ..." She breathed. Then she took his hand and lead him to her bedroom. When he looked back to make sure that Leo wasn't following, he could swear the cat winked at him.

-0-0-0-

"Okay it's been six months already I have to ask ... What is it with my hair?" Fitz said from where his head was comfortably resting on Jemma's stomach.

"What do you mean?" She asked sleepily as she kept on threading her fingers through his curls. She'd been doing that even more often since he'd started growing them out.

"I keep on trying to tame those damn curls every morning and you keep on ruffling them. Not that I'm complaining really cause it feels amazing right now but ... what's so special about it?"

"Well why do you spend so much time petting Leo?" She answered and he could almost hear the smile in her voice.

"Cause it's soft and fluffy ..."

"Well there you go ..."

"Oh so that's it, I'm just another cat for you?" He said in mock-offense as he looked up at her and she chuckled.

"Of course why do you thing I insisted you let your hair grow?" She answered, grinning, and he started to move away from her but she pulled him back immediately, his head ending up resting on her breasts this time and he decided he could act offended some other time.

"Also, you look adorably sexy with your curls all tussled ..." She added and he looked up once more, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Adorably sexy? Is that really a thing ..."

"Yeah it is ... but I think you invented it though!" She answered and he grinned. " ... and well it's only practical really ... having something to hold on to while you ..." She started in a low voice and his grin turned even wider. In the past six months, he got better at getting her not so subtle innuendos and he was quite proud of it.

"Oh ... now that's interesting ..." He answered, turning around and pressing a kiss where his head had been resting just a second ago.

Sliding up, he captured her lips in a slow and still slightly sleepy kiss. But before it had the time to go any further than that, Jemma's alarm sounded quite loudly just next to their ears. Fitz groaned as she broke the kiss and gently pushed at his chest.

"Oh come on I'm sure you can spare another fifteen minutes, you're always insanely early at work anyway ..." He said before burying his face in the crook of her neck to mouth at the sensitive skin there and just when he thought he'd managed to convince her, she pushed at his chest again and he whimpered quite pathetically.

Softly petting his head -exactly like she did when Leo did that cute quiet meow, he noticed- she gave him a soft smile before sitting up and pushing the covers away.

"That would be a really good point if you hadn't already convinced me to reprogram my alarm half an hour later because I didn't need to get out of bed for my daily exercise ..." She answered with a raised eyebrow and he grinned unashamedly.

"And I really have to go home now, Leo will need feeding and his litter box at some point!" She added, pointing towards the cat lying down on the armchair just under the window, his ears perking up at the mention of his name. Since they'd started dating and spending half their nights in Fitz's flat, they completely abandoned the idea of trying to contain Leo at Jemma's and started to le him go between the two places at will.

"And what if Leo's food and litter box were here?" Fitz asked a little bashfully and Jemma gasped in fake shock.

"I knew it, all this time you only wanted to steal Leo from me!" She cried out and he rolled his eyes at her.

"What I meant was what if Leo's stuff AND yours were here? So one of us wouldn't have to leave to get ready every morning ..." He said and she turned back around in bed to face him fully.

"Do you mean ... like ... living together?" She asked with a soft smile.

"Yeah ..." He answered with an hopeful smile and barreled on when she didn't answer immediately. "And really it's only practical, we haven't spent a single night alone in months anyway and we would save so much on rent and ..."

"Urgh Fitz!" She cut him off, swatting at his chest. "Like saving on rent was the best reason for me to live with you, you idiot ... " She added with a fond smile.

"So would you ..."

"Yes Fitz!" She cried out, taking his face between her hands and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "BUT ... you know we're not the ones really making the decisions in this relationship ..." She added turning her gaze towards Leo and Fitz chuckled.

"So Leo" She started, using this slightly high pitched voice she used only for her cat ... and okay sometimes for Fitz as well even if she didn't realize it. "How would you feel about staying here permanently?" She asked.

Perking up at the sound of her voice once more, Leo stood up, took his time stretching all his limbs then looked back at them. Fitz couldn't believe he was actually anxious to know the answer to a question that had been asked to a cat who -probably- didn't understand what he'd been asked. After a moment of exchanged looks, he jumped down the armchair and walked -incredibly slowly- towards the bed. After a moment's hesitation, he jumped up and lied down on his side at the end of the bed, purring loudly.

"Well ..." Jemma let out. "Looks like I don't have a choice anymore" She finished and before she had the time to add anything, Fitz had pulled her to him once more and was hugging her tightly.

"I really love your cat Jemma ... and I love you even more!" He whispered into her ear and she melted into him, her arms going around his neck just as he could see Leo rolling around in bed and letting out a contented meow. Sometime he wondered how much this cat could really understand.

"I love you too ..." She whispered back, kissing his stubbled cheek. Then diverting her kisses towards his mouth she added: "And well if everyone else is going to stay in bed some more, I guess I can stay a bit longer myself ..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fitz's one-sided conversation with Leo at the beginning is one of those over-used tropes that still make me laugh even after hundreds of times :p  
> There's one like this with Coulson and May in season one while May's doing her tai chi and only "answers" with a few eyebrow raises or vague smiles as Coulson keeps talking and I love it, it's perfect for both characters. Anyway, I thought I'd include one in here cause that's exactly the kind of thing you end up doing when you have a cat (at least I do, except I rarely have the need to rehearse a love declaration :p)
> 
> And anyway, hope you liked this one and I'm going to go back to my other stories now :)

**Author's Note:**

> Like BecksMoak pointed out, English/American movies or TV shows are usually aired in English with Dutch subtitles in the Netherlands. But I was recently in Belgium with a friend and we stumbled upon a channel that was airing Harry Potter in Dutch followed by reruns of Power Rangers (also in Dutch). So it was most likely a Flemish channel (the Dutch speaking part of Belgium) and was in Dutch because it was a kid's channel so it would probably not air Doctor Who.   
> But having seen Harry Potter in English an insane amount of times, I actually said to my friend I could teach myself Dutch by watching and comparing it to the English version I know. Obviously, it didn't work for me but I thought it'd be quite a funny nerdy thing to say for Fitz and if anyone could do it, it would probably be one of those geniuses.  
> So I know it's very unlikely that they would even have this channel in the US anyway but there's still a tiny tiny possibility so bear with me for the sake of the story :D


End file.
